Doubt is central to belief. True faith is marked by questioning. To accept a carefully-worded one liner without thinking about its truth and weighing it with that of the Bible runs contrary to Christianity. The explanations, phrases, and witticisms we concoct and spread through language gloss over the much deeper, more complex truths of the Bible. We must dig beneath these words to uncover true meaning, prying into our own minds to search for those beliefs we repeat on an endless loop with little understanding of their actual meaning. Christian thinker and president of Summit Ministries, Jeff Myers, unearths 10 clichés that bind believers in patterns of thoughtlessness and limitation. Only through thoughtful questioning can we break the surface of eloquent words and enter the depths of absolute truth.

Growing up in a legalistic Christian church, the author grappled with issues of belief due to something he identified later as an enforced “simplicism.” This term refers to the representation of truth as nothing more than a few words strung together, an overly simplified statement of belief that Christians must adhere to unquestioningly. Instead of distilling biblical wisdom down to an easily-digestible statement believers can throw around whenever their views are attacked, simplicisms actually stem one’s ability to ponder deep themes and topics effectively. Additionally, these witty, seemingly comprehensive sayings present the Bible as something it is not, stripping it of its power, depth, and meaning. 

The author confronts 10 of these clichés throughout his work, consisting of oft-repeated statements like: “God said it; I believe it; that settles it for me”; “Just have faith”; “God will heal our land if we humble ourselves and pray”; “It’s just me and Jesus”; “Love the sinner; hate the sin”; “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion”; “Jesus was a social justice warrior”; “It’s not my place to judge”; “The world has nothing for me”; and “God is good all the time—all the time God is good.” Contemporary believers circulate these beliefs easily and unquestioningly, but their simplicity fails to reflect the real truths expressed in the Bible. There are no backdoors or shortcuts to discovering and relating truth; the active task of thinking is necessary to understanding.

Hard-won thinking and strenuous study don’t leave people empty handed, though. The author discusses research that links the activity of contemplation and deep thinking to the part of our brains that activates feelings of pleasure and joy. Study is a spiritual experience. Similarly, the author debunks statements that advocate for an unconscious, thoughtless belief in God’s Word by emphasizing the comprehensive, unfathomably complex nature of the Bible as the inspired and inerrant Word of God. The Bible is the source of a wide range of study. Think of its multifaceted composition: The Word is stuffed with melodic poems, expressive letters, documented history. Interacting with the Bible requires doing more than simply listening to what one person says about a particular passage on Sunday morning. This resource is too replete with wisdom to not study it more deeply and apply it on a personal level.

There’s a reason why two-thirds of young people drop out of church. Christianity presented as a mere ritual of spiritual dogma leaves little room for growth and deep thought. It reduces the Bible—the most profound and practical vehicle of God’s truth—to a tome of stale half-truths. The author’s work at Summit Ministries seeks to combat this by reintroducing deep questioning and rigorous study of God’s word and the Christian worldview to students. Thinking, learning, traveling beyond the surface of words that can become stagnant ignites a lifestyle of joy and a spirituality of meaning.

Riddled throughout church services and in polite conversations with encouraging believers, the expression, “Just have faith” strikes the ears of many people. But honestly, what does this encouragement mean to your practical life? How does faith interact with knowledge? Are they two opposing forces, or can they coexist? Contrary to what this phrase indicates, faith is a practical product of knowledge and a creator of action. The word faith in Greek, the term used throughout the New Testament, is pistis, a term also used by Greek philosophers of the same time period to express the foundational structure of a line of reasoning. We don’t have to relinquish knowledge to gain faith; in fact, faith is established by a proper knowledge of God, His Word, and His truth.

Assuming that logical thinking runs contrary to faith strips Christianity of so much of its power. Many intellectual movements were propelled by a right relationship with faith, one that employs knowledge as fuel that propels a believer to act on her belief. The author refers to the example of Celtic Christianity in the fifth through ninth centuries to illustrate a time in which an intellectual Christianity flourished. Many monks during the time, such as the Irish monk Columbanus, traveled throughout the world on pilgrimages and established monasteries, some of which grew into universities set aflame by faith-filled learning. During the 12th century, religious thinkers and scientists like Robert Grosseteste fused their faith with their knowledge, becoming leaders of later developments in science. Grosseteste taught the famed figurehead of the Scientific Revolution, Roger Bacon, who employed his methods in his own study. The author outlines the process of a thinking faith as such: Knowledge beholds truth, which enhances one’s confidence and resulting faith.

A thoughtful faith is a faith of action. Looking closely at our actions and our daily behaviors can tell us a lot about our faith. During his time as a student at Summit Ministries, the author befriended Brent, a blind young man whose life would soon close upon him in a struggle with diabetes. Despite his physical limitations and his impending death, Brent persisted to act on his knowledge-backed faith and spread the message of God in his remaining time on earth. His faith grounded in knowledge led him to act in a way that showcased his beliefs and allowed him to thrive in the remainder of his ministry. 

Faith is a blessing built on knowledge; it’s a force within which we are compelled to create our lives. Believing that the earth revolves around the sun and believing that God created the earth and the sun to begin with are initiated by the same process: faith. Beneath each of our actions is this force; faith is inextricable from humanity and so is the action that faithfully follows.

The author writes about faith as a dual process of discovering truth through thought and relating this truth through thoughtful actions and words. In his exposition of repeated platitudes like, “It’s just me and Jesus,” or “Love the sinner; hate the sin,” the author emphasizes the two necessities of a thoughtfully expressed faith: community and questioning. Despite the necessity of the church as a gathering of people who simultaneously empower each other and manifest the purpose of God, studies show that many believing people view church as tangential to faith. A 2018 Pew research report documents that most believers who fail to attend church (37% of Christians) do so because they practice their faith in other, more isolated ways.

Despite the prevalence of this solitary mindset towards Christianity, Hebrews 10:23-25 implores believers to join together in mutual belief and purpose. Additionally, numerous studies document that church-goers are actually more joyful and live longer lives than those who don’t attend church. A believer’s relationship with Christ must have adequate time in solitude and independent contemplation, but it also must have a role in a community of believers, otherwise it forfeits a great blessing and benefit to one’s faith. Beyond simply attending church, Christians should aspire to serve and incorporate their gifts in any way their particular church needs. The author notes that in community, hope is bolstered and purpose renewed. These are two integral components of a joyful and faith-fueled life. Church collectively empowers believers to accomplish the work that transcends the songs, sermons, and experiences that comprise a typical Sunday morning service. Interacting with other people and developing faith-filled relationships with other believers is a crucial part of spiritual development and growth in truth. 

That’s what makes the statement which compels people to “Love the sinner; hate the sin” so damaging to relationships with people the declaration refers to. The author writes that a statement like this posits the superiority of the person speaking; the speaker may sin, but her sin is much less than that of the person to whom she’s referring. In cases in which the maxim refers to homosexual people, the underlying tone of judgement increases. This kind of statement attempts to separate the action from the person, but homosexual people view their sexuality as an essential component of their identity—the two cannot be separated. The seemingly loving platitude simply judges them again under the guise of moral self-righteousness. To avoid this judgemental simplicism, the author draws upon the advice of Christopher Yuan, a speaker at Summit Ministries and a man who formerly struggled with homosexuality. Instead of expressing oneself under misguided statements, ask people who they are and what they believe. This method isn’t simply a deflection; it draws upon a key practice Jesus incorporated throughout His ministry: asking questions to get to the root of truth.

How we say something is just as important as what we say. Nurturing relationships with others and creating conversations that transcend the bounds of moral clichés and hypocrisy elevates and excavates deeper truths.

Perhaps you’ve heard a Christian say something along the lines of, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.” This seemingly sound maxim is on the rise in a culture that seeks general spirituality over a commitment to a particular religion. And yet, believing that Jesus is your personal savior imbues you with a certain way of perceiving reality. From this reality, you draw conclusions about how you should best act and conduct your life based on the beliefs you hold—that’s religion. The author writes that reducing Christianity to a personal relationship ignores the power of the worldview it creates, thus losing its grander context and communal impact. 

A Catholic priest and prisoner of the Holocaust, Maximilian Kolbe acted upon his relationship with Christ and the truth of reality drawn from it. The personal relationship of one man acting on what he knew to be true through a relationship with Jesus altered the course of many lives. Before being captured and imprisoned by the Nazis, he hid Jews and Poles in his monastery, and during his eventual time in prison, Kolbe led other prisoners in prayer and singing. When a fellow prisoner was summoned to execution, Kolbe volunteered his own life in his place; he knew that the man had a family waiting for him, so he sacrificed the remaining years of his life for a stranger in a selfless act of love driven by true faith. Not long after, a man named Karol Wojtyła grew inspired by the life of Kolbe and pledged his own life to his memory in respect and in repayment for his death. That man became Pope John Paul II, living up to his promise and extending the impact of Kolbe’s ministry beyond the bounds of the musty prison cell in which he gave up his life. Kolbe demonstrates the vast ability of a personal relationship, and the religious dedication that flows from it, to shift the reality of the world. Our relationship with Jesus informs our perspective of the world, prompting action within it that transcends any individual person.

This ability attests to another Christian misnomer concerning the fallenness of the world and the Christian’s obligation to flee from it. Instead of simply repeating, “This world has nothing for me,” Christians are called to cultivate their personal relationship with Christ and allow their behavior to be transformed into a proper reconciliation with culture and the world. The cliché that Christians should hover above culture, never partaking in it and never changing it, leads to the exclusion of the Christian worldview from various sectors of society, like the arts, mathematics, education, and politics. The author draws upon Jeremiah 29 to elucidate the error of this kind of thinking, showing that God created the world and calls Christians to embrace it and join Him in His plan of redemption.

Christianity stretches beyond our limitations. It’s a personal relationship that enables truth-fueled action within the wider scope of reality. Instead of judging or withdrawing from the world, we should seek to enjoy it within the context of God’s blessing and recast it in the light of the peace and truth of Jesus.

If any label reigns as an overarching theme of contemporary culture it would be that of social justice—concerns of morality and equality for people of all backgrounds is an important and necessary modern fixation. Justice is similarly woven throughout the Bible as well, leading many believers to conclude that Jesus is a “social justice warrior.” It’s true; Jesus fed the hungry, healed the lame, and advocated for the oppressed. The Hebrew word for the elements necessary to rescuing justice is mishpat, while the word for a just society is tzadeqah. In Timothy Keller’s book Generous Justice, he notes that these two words are joined together numerous times in the Bible, and the equivalent of this combined meaning in English is “social justice.” But Jesus’s ministry of social justice on earth required strenuous work and careful thought, two components which are oftentimes absent in current discussions of social justice issues. Additionally, the author notes that contemporary social justice carries a connotation of polarizing politicization rather than true reconciliation.

What do believers do in a culture that desperately needs to address matters of justice but is so easily swayed by its counterfeit? Embracing the holistic nature of Jesus’s ministry is a start. He crafted His miracles not only to heal bodies but to rescue souls. The contemporary belief that a just society is the means to the world’s restoration is a well-contrived, oftentimes beautiful perspective, but it’s incomplete. Only Jesus Himself exists as the source of the world’s betterment, and only in returning to Him can culture have any hope to enact true social justice. The author notes that in the Bible, injustice occurs when a scale is tipped and balance misaligned. Social justice is absolutely necessary to society, but its true form is only materialized through Jesus, flowing from believers who tether their lives to Him.

Of the 613 laws of the Torah, Jesus divided our obligations into two primary duties: loving God and loving our neighbor. The author notes that loving one’s neighbor and treating him well is a natural manifestation of one’s devotion to God. If someone acts in a way that’s injurious to another person, then she should make amends and restore this broken justice. Maintaining right relationships with others through treating people with intentional kindness and thoughtfulness takes more effort than simply holding a set of beliefs for how the world should be run, but it’s worth it. Ultimately, Jesus provides the kind of shalom for which the world thirsts—complete peace is found only in Him.

Social justice begins on the personal level. It’s not simply a sign to prop up or a slogan to repeat, it’s an internal change that manifests in our relationships with other people.

What is evil? Is it a substance in itself, or is it simply the absence of good? Do good and evil even exist? Questions like these keep the world spinning on its axis, propelling profound minds into painful cycles of despair and disillusionment. Maybe you’ve experienced this physical pain firsthand as a well-meaning friend tried to cheer you up after a difficult experience, comforting you with the admonition that God’s still in control and He’s always good. That’s doubtlessly true, but there’s an error in this overly-simplistic truism—the author notes that responding to human pain and suffering in such a way appears to trivialize real hurt. Like the biblical giant Job, oftentimes we are left silent in the wake of our problems and the suffering swirling around us. Words fall between the empty space of our yearning to provide comfort and our inability to find answers. 

For many people, the question of evil is the roadblock to their belief in God. While this hesitation to accept a God who appears to allow the presence of violence, poverty, and death in the world is understandable, it’s half-conceived. Refusing God doesn’t destroy evil or make it any less excruciating. In fact, Christianity exists as the only religious perspective that comforts its people with the promise of one who ultimately annihilates pain and suffering. On the other hand, atheist worldviews that shirk the existence of the spiritual tell us to toughen up and get over ourselves; affliction is ingrained in the human condition. Worldviews that uphold the spiritual and resist the material, such as Buddhism, simply confine evil to a process we must accept and learn to separate ourselves from. Evil doesn’t bow its head and slip away. Christianity is the only worldview that confronts evil exactly for what it is—not a fact of life or a phantom of imagination, but a manipulation of good, a way of being that can and will be redeemed by a God who doesn’t laud suffering as a blessing or a prize but a condition of free will and true morality. Jesus paints truth, meaning, and love within the lines of our lives, filling those regions of blank space that feel pointless and mute with indescribable shades of joy.

Meaning requires thinking—without it, our lives lose color and vibrancy. Accepting coined propositions and failing to pick apart the carefully-phrased simplified truths we repeat endlessly, deprives us of the intense, beautiful nuance of Christian belief. God ignites joy through discovery; truth sits quietly, waiting for us to ask for more, peeling off the surface layer of our words to encounter the light of depth.